Arthur Penn, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Director, Dies

Arthur Penn, a stage and screen director, died yesterday at his home in New York City. He was 88. Though he had a distinguished career directing for the theater and on TV, Penn is best known for directing “Bonnie and Clyde,” the 1967 gangster film starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty that is often credited with ushering in a new, gritter style of filmmaking in Hollywood.

Penn made a name for himself in the 1950s directing Playhouse 90, the live TV drama series. In 1959, he won a Tony for the Broadway production of “The Miracle Worker,” which starred Anne Bancroft. It was Penn’s ability to coax great performances from actors, honed by theater work, that allowed him to direct Warren Beatty’s groundbreaking performance as Clyde, according to Chris Nashawaty, who wrote a tribute to Penn for EW. In his post “Bonnie” career, Penn also directed “Little Big Man,” the detective film “Night Moves” and “The Missouri Breaks,” which starred Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. Watch the “Bonnie and Clyde” trailer.

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